Right! Make up your mind: me, or your brother and that flock of girls you let linger about! Youve got some nerve. First, you saddle me with all your relatives, and now youre inviting strange women? Youve got it pretty cosy for yourself, I suppose!
Emma stood in the middle of the bedroom, every inch of her shivering with frustration. She clutched, between two dainty fingers, an unfamiliar nylon stockingthe evidence shed just plucked from under the bed. One glance told her it certainly wasnt her own.
Rather than apologize, or even act remotely repentant, Alex pulled a face, as if Emma herself had brought round a strange man. He shifted restlessly from foot to foot, flicking sharp glances towards the corridor.
Oh, Emma, for heavens sake, will you stop flying off the handle. You always make mountains out of molehills, Alex scoffed, his voice tinged with irritation. It was just a guest, my brotheryour brother-in-law, incidentally. So he brought a girl once. Does it really matter?
But Emma felt something elsea chilling, clammy disgust. It was as though shed stepped into a puddle of mud while wearing her favourite shoes.
She watched Alexs eyes dart about, seeking silent support from his brother, Harry, who had been squatting in their flat for months. But Harry didnt so much as lift a finger.
This is my flat and I dont want strangers here, Emma said in a thin, trembling voice, barely bottling her anger. Not even your brother. Buy your own place and fill it with whoever you like, even an elephant if thats your fancy. I want mine cleared out. Understood?
Now it was Alexs turn to be shocked, though Emma found his surprise laughablewhat else could he expect? It was simply the natural conclusion.
Ah, mate, come on, lets get out of here, Harry drawled from the lounge. Well find a place thats a bit more lenientno endless nagging. You know what they say: good riddance to bad rubbish.
That was all the cue Alex needed. He stormed to the wardrobe and crashed open the doors, violently cramming random clothesshirts mixed with jeans, charger, socksinto his gym bag.
Youll regret this, Emma, he muttered gruffly, eyes averted. No one else will want you.
With a bone-rattling slam, the door was shut behind them, rattling the crystal in the glass cabinet.
Emma was alone. Suddenly, silence seemed to ring in her ears. She sat on the edge of the bed, clutching the damned nylon stocking. How had it come to this? At what point had her grandmothers lovely little flat become a halfway house?
Emma met Alex about two years earlier. They were worlds apartshe, quiet and bashful, always struggling to connect with people; he, lively, forever talking, marching through life noisily. Despite both being students, Alex did shifts as a cab driver and courted Emma with boxes of chocolates, poetry, and the occasional dinner at a restaurant. To Emma, ever the overachiever and introvert, this felt supremely romantic.
Alex suggested moving in together suspiciously quickly, after just two months.
I cant bear to be apart from you a minute longer, darling, he whispered, embracing her. I want to wake and fall asleep next to you always.
That was all it took. Emma melted on the spot. Only half a year later did she learn that Alex had only asked her because hed been evicted for noise complaintsshed been the only roof available. But Emma told herself, Everyone has tough times. Just a coincidence, nothing more.
Their world was small and quiet, if modest. Emma dashed to lectures by morning and tutored pupils in the evenings to keep the fridge stocked. Alex helped with the bills, too.
But in the blink of an eye, their bubble was shattered by a third wheel.
Alex, didnt you say your brother was coming up to start university? Shall we invite him for tea? Youre family, after all, Emma had suggested innocently.
She had no clue how much Harry would enjoy their companyso much at first that he began dropping in every other day, then every evening, and finally he simply never left. Emma, raised to be a good hostess, laid out food and cleaned up after two grown men: washing up, making beds, doing their laundryall on her own.
Nor did Emma know that Harry had no intention of ever enrolling.
Harry, arent you supposed to be a student? Wont they put you in halls of residence? she asked, three months into the new arrangement.
Didnt get in, as it happens, he replied matter-of-factly. Didnt make the grades. Ill try again next year.
Emmas eyes widened in horror. Shed begun to suspect Harry would never move out. Why would he? The whole lounge to himself, endless coddling and cooked dinners. All he did was sleep past midday, tap away on his phone, and go out with mates in the evening.
Things went from bad to worse when Alex abruptly quit his job at the supermarket hed held for a year.
The managers an idiot, he grumbled. Expectations sky-high for a pittance. Dont worry, Ill pick up cab shifts again, maybe find something proper.
Not surprisingly, the job hunt dragged on. At best, hed work once a week. Now Emmas flat was home all day to two idle lumps, both utterly reliant on her.
Managing the budget became harder. Grocery runs vanished in a blink. A frying pan of sausages meant for two days would be gone by supper. The bills steadily climbed, and neither Harry nor Alex offered so much as a fingers help.
Emma came home from work exhausted, confronted by mouldy plates stacked high in the sink. Dirty laundry carpeted the bathroom floor. Dust bunnies bred in every corner.
When, at last, Emma dared to protest, Alex gazed at her, genuinely perplexed.
What are you making a fuss about, Emma? Its just an extra plate of soup. Hes having a rough time, you know. Big city and all that. Why not show a little kindnessafter all, youre a woman.
Every argument ended with Emma painted as a sour miser who resented sharing dinner. Shed grit her teeth, return to the kitchen, clean their mess in silence, too frightened to shatter the fragile peace. She convinced herself: this is simply how life iseveryone goes through rough patches.
But when Emma came home and found an empty bottle of bottom-shelf wine and three glasses on the coffee table, her nerves jangled. And then, the coup de grace: the strange nylon stocking. That was it. She snapped.
The first night alone in her empty flat was restless. Strangely, the hush pressed in on her. There was no snoring from the lounge, no TV droning, no slippered shuffling in the kitchen.
But by morning, the fear of loneliness had been replaced by relief. She opened her fridge. The cheese she bought yesterday was untouched. The juice carton, still full. No one had swigged milk from the bottle. No crumbs, no sticky knife left behind. At last, she had her space to herself.
By evening, though, loneliness doubled back. She paid a visit to her friend, Lucy, desperate to tell the tale.
You silly thing, Emma Lucy said, without a hint of malice. Theyve probably already roped in some other poor girl. Maybe even that same guest. In fact, it might not have been Harry who brought hermaybe it was your Alex.
You think Alex was cheating?
Does it matter anymore? They both milked you for all youd give. Thank your stars some silly girl left you that presentotherwise, youd be footing the bill for two grown men forever.
Emma returned home and began a cleansing like no other. She scoured every crevice, tossed out stray socks, crumpled wrappers, spent fag packetseverything that spoke of the old chaos. Even the presents went. She put on fresh sheets, mopped every surface, scrubbed with bleach until exhaustion gave way to calm.
When she finally balanced her accounts, to her surprise she found she could set money aside for a rainy day.
A year and a half passed
Emma had changed. She landed a position at a private school, learned the art of saying no, stopped bending over backwards to please everyone. Even met someone newDavid, an engineer five years her senior with his own (albeit mortgaged) flat. She took her time. She watched David for six months before agreeing to share a home. They chose Emmascloser to the city centre. David let his place out to pay off his loan quicker.
Everything ticked along nicely, until one evening David put down his phone and said:
Listen, Emma, Mums rung. She needs some tests done and, well, you know our village clinics useless. Shell have to stay here a week, maybe two. Are you all right with that?
Emma felt ice in her veins. The past flashed before her eyesHarry sprawled over her sofa, the snores, the feeling of being a guest in her own home. Her chest tightened with dread.
She looked at David. He awaited her answer. This felt pivotal for their future: should she stay silent for loves sake? Endure, and become convenient for everyone but herself?
Emma took a deep breath, counting heartbeats.
David, she said as steadily as possible, I respect your mum, but I have one hard-and-fast rule. No overnight guests in my homenot on your side or mine. Our home is our castle. No exceptions. Please dont take it personally. Those are just my quirks.
The silence stretched. Emma braced for accusations of selfishness, for slammed doors. She was ready to fight.
But David only raised his eyebrows in surprise, then nodded.
Absolutely fine by me, he replied, returning to his phone. Fair dos. Theres no reason we should all be packed inespecially since theres a spare flat. Worst case, Ill get her a place near the hospital. Shell be happy, and so will we.
Emma stared for a moment, hardly believing it. Then sighed in relief.
Youre really not upset?
David looked up again, gently placed his phone aside, came over, and wrapped his arms around her.
Nothing to be upset about. Preferences are perfectly normal. Theres always a workaroundno need for drama.
Emma smiled, nestling her head on his shoulder. She had learned how to say no, but more than that, shed found someone who wouldnt turn it into a battleground. From then on, the doors to her flatand to her heartwould only open for those who knew how to wipe their feet before coming in.
